Zhang Yimou

Biography

Zhang Yimou (born November 14, 1950 or 1951)  is a Chinese film director, producer, writer and actor, and former cinematographer. He is counted amongst the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, having made his directorial debut in 1987 with Red Sorghum. Zhang has won numerous awards and recognitions, with Best Foreign Film nominations for Ju Dou in 1990 and Raise the Red Lantern in 1991, Silver Lion and Golden Lion prizes at the Venice Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. One of Zhang's recurrent themes is the resilience of Chinese people in the face of hardship and adversity, a theme which has been explored in such films as, for example, To Live (1994) and Not One Less (1999). His films are particularly noted for their rich use of colour, as can be seen in some of his early films, like Raise the Red Lantern, and in his wuxia films like Hero and House of Flying Daggers.

Directed

1. The Great Wall (2016) — Director
2. Hero (2002) — Director
3. House of Flying Daggers (2004) — Director
4. The Flowers of War (2011) — Director
5. Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) — Director
6. Raise the Red Lantern (1991) — Director
7. Shadow (2018) — Director
8. To Live (1994) — Director
9. Red Sorghum (1988) — Director
10. The Road Home (1999) — Director
11. Coming Home (2014) — Director
12. Not One Less (1999) — Director
13. Ju Dou (1990) — Director
14. Full River Red (2023) — Director
15. The Story of Qiu Ju (1992) — Director
16. Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010) — Director
17. To Each His Own Cinema (2007) — Director
18. One Second (2020) — Director
19. Cliff Walkers (2021) — Director
20. Shanghai Triad (1995) — Director
21. Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005) — Director
22. A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop (2009) — Director
23. Lumière & Company (1995) — Director
24. Keep Cool (1997) — Director
25. Happy Times (2000) — Director
26. Article 20 (2024) — Director
27. Snipers (2022) — Director
28. Under the Light (2023) — Director
29. Beijing 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony (2008) — Director
30. Scare Out (2026) — Director
31. Codename Cougar (1989) — Director
32. Beijing 2022 Olympic Opening Ceremony (2022) — Director
33. Beijing 2008 Olympic Closing Ceremony (2008) — Director
34. Puccini: Turandot at the Forbidden City of Beijing (1999) — Director
35. Beijing 2022 Olympics Closing Ceremony (2022) — Director
36. 最忆是杭州 (2016) — Director
37. Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremony (2022) — Director
38. Cliff Walkers 2 — Director
39. The Three-Body Problem — Director
40. 图兰朵：法兰西体育场 (2005) — Director

Also appeared in

1. Red Sorghum (1988)
2. Lumière & Company (1995) — Self
3. Keep Cool (1997) — Junk Peddler
4. Bergman: A Year in a Life (2018) — Self
5. A Terra-Cotta Warrior (1989) — General Meng Tianfang
6. Trespassing Bergman (2013) — Self
7. My Country, My Parents (2021) — TV Station Director (segment "Duck Prophet")
8. Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang (2017) — Self
9. Old Well (1986) — 孙旺泉
10. The Grand Mansion Gate (2001) — 李莲英
11. The Big Parade (1986) — Military Official
12. Making of House of Flying Daggers (2004) — Self
13. CMG Spring Festival Gala (1983)
14. Thirteen Talks (2016)
15. Cause: The Birth of Hero (2002) — Himself
16. 极：《悬崖之上》电影纪录片 (2021)
17. Making of "The Flowers of War" (2011)
18. Celebrity Talk Show (1989) — 张艺谋
19. A Documentary About The Movie One Second (2020) — Himself
20. Behind the Opening Ceremony: The Director's Cut (2022) — Self
21. Golden Horse Awards (1962) — Self
22. 激荡·1978-2008 (2008)
23. 'Hero' Defined: A Look at the Epic Masterpiece (2004) — Self
24. Beauty and Pureness (2004)
25. 知识改变命运 (1999)
26. New Chinese Cinema (1989)
27. Zhang Yimou's "Shadow" (2018) — Self
28. Big Fish in China (1994) — Self
29. Secrets Within: Inside Look at 'Curse of the Golden Flower' (2007) — Self
30. The 40th Anniversary of Chinese Film Since China's Reform and Opening-Up (2018) — Self
31. 奥运档案 (2009) — Self
32. Zhang Yimou's 2008 (2009)